1
as in dual
consisting of two members or parts that are usually joined
the double-edged purpose of the sales promotion is to clear out existing stock and to attract new customers
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in ambiguous
having an often intentionally veiled or uncertain meaning
her double-edged remark that she hoped that I ultimately got what I deserved
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Recent Examples of double-edged
There, too, his advocacy is double-edged.
—
Mark Pazniokas, Hartford Courant, 23 Mar. 2026
Given the fact that more than 20 of her rapists are still roaming free, this fame may be double-edged.
—Gaby Wood, Vogue, 21 Feb. 2026
Seneca’s and Cicero’s invocations of humanitas were as double-edged as our own talk of the humanities, pointing at once to a body of knowledge and to a moral choice that learning might inspire.
—Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 8 Dec. 2025
However, trust is double-edged.
—Julian Hayes Ii, Forbes.com, 25 Aug. 2025
Putin boasts of Russia’s record-low 2.3% unemployment rate, but this sword is double-edged.
—Christian Edwards, CNN, 26 Jan. 2025
For Eisenberg’s film, the decision is double-edged: from the perspective of the characters, exceptional demands are placed on the dialogue to make their past come to life, but the dialogue isn’t sufficiently rich or imaginative to meet the challenge.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 5 Nov. 2024
Usually double-edged, the weapons were occasionally decorated with engraved patterns.
—Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 Mar. 2024
Among artists and intellectuals, technology has always been double-edged, utopian and dystopian.
—Jed Perl, The New York Review of Books, 27 Apr. 2023
Mark Pazniokas, Hartford Courant, 23 Mar. 2026
Given the fact that more than 20 of her rapists are still roaming free, this fame may be double-edged.
—Gaby Wood, Vogue, 21 Feb. 2026
Seneca’s and Cicero’s invocations of humanitas were as double-edged as our own talk of the humanities, pointing at once to a body of knowledge and to a moral choice that learning might inspire.
—Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 8 Dec. 2025
However, trust is double-edged.
—Julian Hayes Ii, Forbes.com, 25 Aug. 2025
Putin boasts of Russia’s record-low 2.3% unemployment rate, but this sword is double-edged.
—Christian Edwards, CNN, 26 Jan. 2025
For Eisenberg’s film, the decision is double-edged: from the perspective of the characters, exceptional demands are placed on the dialogue to make their past come to life, but the dialogue isn’t sufficiently rich or imaginative to meet the challenge.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 5 Nov. 2024
Usually double-edged, the weapons were occasionally decorated with engraved patterns.
—Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 Mar. 2024
Among artists and intellectuals, technology has always been double-edged, utopian and dystopian.
—Jed Perl, The New York Review of Books, 27 Apr. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for double-edged
Adjective
-
Our contract enabled the school district to implement mandatory recess for elementary school students; codify smaller class sizes; expand access to honors, arts, music and sports; and establish dual language schools in the Black community on the West and South sides.—
Stacy Davis Gates,
Chicago Tribune,
19 Apr. 2026
-
Hamza Iqbal, 20, and Rehan Khan, 19, and a 17-year-old of dual British-Pakistani nationality who cannot be named because of his age, all from east London, were charged with arson and taken into custody in connection with that incident.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
18 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Bieber has had clashes with the paparazzi, and has sent ambiguous messages over social media hinting at his sorrow.—
Vinson Cunningham,
New Yorker,
18 Apr. 2026
-
While data centers represent tangible ways in which AI is changing our lives, the more abstract and ambiguous fears are coming to a boil, as well.—
Lorena O’Neil,
Rolling Stone,
16 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Bug, who was in sixth grade at the time, had previously come out as non-binary, but this felt like an even bigger step.—
Karen Brown,
NPR,
17 Apr. 2026
-
In the case of ChatGPT, the study noted, the bot sometimes rejected providing a binary choice, instead recommending both solutions.—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
10 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Simultaneously, the solo careers of fellow Pornographers Neko Case and Dan Bejar had begun to take flight—Case as maybe the greatest country torch singer of her generation, and Bejar in his cryptic Leonard Cohen-adjacent auteur mode as Destroyer.—
Elizabeth Nelson,
Pitchfork,
8 Apr. 2026
-
There’s a mysterious new leader of EON (ExtraOrdinary Observation and Neutralization), according to a cryptic summary.—
Entertainment Weekly,
Entertainment Weekly,
3 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
That comes on the heels of the closure of the Phillips 66 twin refinery in the Los Angeles area late last year.—
Rob Nikolewski,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
15 Apr. 2026
-
For years, twin sisters from the Seattle area, Cathy and Jeanne Roiter, have been fixtures in this world — champions, fan favorites, and, until now, teammates.—
Brian Unger,
CBS News,
15 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The quartet refused to give interviews and press releases were obscure and offered little information.—
David Harris,
SPIN,
15 Apr. 2026
-
Others, like Harvilicz, are more obscure but still wield consequential powers.—
Doug Bock Clark,
ProPublica,
13 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Set dark green pieces aside separately.—
Nina Moskowitz,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
22 Apr. 2026
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Thanks to its high altitude and exceptionally dark skies, this location offers stunning views of the Milky Way and countless stars.—
Daisy Dobrijevic,
Space.com,
21 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Double-edged.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/double-edged. Accessed 22 Apr. 2026.
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